Things to do in Sydney this weekend

An event that has set up in Melbourne annually for years, is making its way to Parramatta in 2021 from June 19 to September 12. There's ice-skating, pop-up bars, food trucks, and a village with 'igloos' you can book out. Entry is free, but some activities are ticketed. 

The Bamboozle Room takes your feathery, glittery, charming best expectations of proper burlesque and throws in some oddballs and unexpected elements. It implores you to rethink who you expect to see on a burlesque stage as you sip, nibble, giggle and blush your way through the evening. The atmosphere is ripped straight from the KitKatClub – Weimar-era Berlin meets geographic patterned carpet that would be right at home in the Stanley Hotel. 

Six-time Archibald Prize finalist Peter Wegner has won the 2021 Archibald Prize, taking home $100,000 for his portrait of artist Guy Warren AM, titled ‘Portrait of Guy Warren at 100’. Which is uncanny, given it’s also the 100th year of the prestigious award. Yolŋu painter and printmaker Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu won $50,000 for her silvery depiction of the Seven Sisters star clusters, also known as Pleiades, titled ‘Garak – night sky’. And first-time Sulman Prize finalist Georgia Spain has secured the $40,000 award for her stunning work ‘Getting down or falling up’.

PSA: The small bars of Sydney’s CBD have recently joined forces under the umbrella of YCK Laneways. ‘YCK’ refers to York, Clarence and Kent Streets, where the bars are clustered. On the heels of their launch event (YCK Laneways Block Party), the precinct has now unveiled a 13-day program of events called Night Over Light as part of this year’s brand-new Sydney Solstice celebration, June 8-20. 

Tony, Olivier and Green Room Award-winning musical Come From Away is finally about to touch down in Sydney this winter, after having to divert last year because of you know what. Which is oddly on-brand for a show that’s all about a massive global upheaval. Set in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the US 20 years ago, the Irene Sankoff and David Hein musical details the incredible true story of the teeny Canadian town that welcomed a fleet of diverted flights bearing folks from all over the world.

In a ripper of a last hurrah, late-night pizza joint and beloved dive bar Frankie's is running a daily pizza happy hour, slinging slices for just one dollar ahead of its planned demolition in order to erect a Metro station on the line linking Parramatta to the CBD. It's available from 4pm to 6pm every day of the week. 

We're probably not going to see snow in Sydney this winter, but you can play pretend at an Antarctic season inside a cosy, extremely fancy igloo. Draped in furs and filled with hearty winter feasts for you and your crew of winter city explorers, the cosy hangout of your dreams is designed this year by Instagram influencer Tara Milk Tea – and as in years past, it's popping up at hotel Pier One. 

Stilt-walkers, kaleidoscopic colours, glittering tarot card readers and suited-up magicians, all in one, fantastical, dizzingly colourful set-up? That's right – the circus is back in town. On every second Saturday night of the month until mid-November, an immersive, circus-themed pop-up is set to bring a little escapist fantasy to the back streets of Alexandria, taking over the arcade game filled den of Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq.

Looking for something a little different for your next weekend catch up or special celebration? Head underground at CBD party bar the Prince of York on a Saturday afternoon. Head past the exposed brick and geometric prints and you’ll find a fancy, boozy daytime dining event amongst the low lighting, lush velvety couches and scattered disco balls of bar-within-a-bar, Pamela’s – complete with drag queens.

Hold onto your boas, babe, because it’s finally time to say ‘G’day’ and ‘Shantay’ to the first Antipodean series of the reality TV megahit that has made drag fans of literally millions of people worldwide. We’ve selected the very best viewing parties across the city, where you can not only marvel at our fabulous Aussie drag stars on screen, but you can also see many of them in the flesh. Can we get an amen up in here?

Native Drops is part-bottleshop, part-creative space, part-educational hub. Along the walls of the prime Crown Street location, gold lighting rims shelves stocked with Australian and imported wines, all in bottles stuck with either ultra-minimalist or psychedically colourful labels. Most of Native Drops' offerings are small-batch makes from local and interstate suppliers, who consider biodynamic winemaking and minimal intervention processes a core part of their work. Swing by its new store for your natty needs. 

Fried chicken and sneaker palace Butter has already racked up a cult following – one which is about to be amped the hell up. Instead of just one kind of ramen, their OG fried chicken, the Sydney eatery is rallying a bunch of Australia's best chefs to line up six-limited edition versions. Each one will be available in limited numbers each day for a month-long reign at the Surry Hills, Parramatta and Chatswood stores. 

Stretching luxuriously across The Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), the MCA and Carriageworks, the biennial smorgasbord of creativity that is the National is ready to wow us. It's the third outing of this art event that connects creative precincts in the Domain, Redfern and Circular Quay and showcases around 40 artists, collectives and collaboratives.

What do you get when you rally together some of the city's finest makers, chefs and cocktail-shakers and drop them into one industrial hub? You get South Eveleigh: once a collection of old railway sheds, now a regenerated, buzzing dining and drinking destination. The area's old heritage buildings have been preserved and its historic façades will now play host to an up-and-coming food hub. 

Made out the back of a light-filled store on Newtown's Australia Street, Tokyo Lamington's lams come wrapped in a pillow of blowtorched meringue and filled with an inch of yuzu custard, or rolled in crunchy, black sesame seeds and filled with a nutty cream, or in the form of a mint-green cube that tastes like a collision between chiffon cake and a matcha latte. They're not what your school canteen dished up. Have yours with a cup of Single O coffee.  

Oh starry, starry night – we have been utterly transfixed by the blinding glow of lush exhibition Lumen. Currently on show at White Rabbit Gallery until August 1, if you haven’t had a looksee as yet, then prepare to be dazzled. The magnetic collection brings together glimmering works from more than 25 artists from China and Taiwan.

It's been an excruciatingly long Wait For It but Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton – the hip-hop, R'n'B and jazz-infused Broadway mega-hit exploring American revolutionary history – has finally hit the main stage at Sydney's Lyric Theatre. It's the most hotly anticipated show to arrive in town for years and tickets have been selling in the vein of proverbial hotcakes, all the way until August of this year. Best to get yours stat. 

Fried, roasted or chargrilled: Sydney's a city with a serious appetite for chicken. Just look at the recent influx of chicken joints to the city, which cater to your every chook-based need – from the convenience of drive-throughs to a fresh take on Korean fried chicken, to the traditional Sunday roast. We've rounded up our favourites in the fight for fowl supremacy.

There's not really much middle ground with these tasty treats of the sea: but there's one thing that unites oyster enthusiasts and it's the joy of being able to eat them by the dozen and have change to spare for a great glass of sparkling on the side. Here's where to go. 

We love eating outdoors, be it fish and chips on the beach, a picnic in the park, or those coveted tables that line the street outside your local café. From Bondi Farmers' Market's corn fritters, to fluffy vegan doughnuts from the Vegan Market to vermicelli salad from Ramsgate Farmers Market, you've got options. 

Cities are amazing, but every now and then, it feels good to slow down, escape the urban jungle and get back to nature. Fortunately, you won’t have to travel very far to find yourself surrounded by verdant greenery and soothing solitude as you explore one of many national parks that can be found on Sydney's fringes. Next time you need a break from the pace of city living, we suggest you take a trip to one of these lush and leafy retreats within 100km of the CBD.